Let's Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari - Lasers, Peels, and the Secrets to Glowing Skin with Nari Colon

Episode Date: September 10, 2024

Facialist Nari Colon joins me to break down everything skin-related: lasers and why we should be careful with them, chemical peels, all the different acids, negative side effects to injecting including my droopy eyes from Dysport, how to do facial massage for lymphatic drainage, the best tools to use, the products she thinks everyone should have in their skincare routine, what I was using every night that I shouldn't be, and of course, that dreaded sunscreen conversation. Plus, we dive into kids and skincare: how soon is too soon, what products they should be using, and kids dealing with acne.LMNT - Get a free Sample Pack with any drink mix at DrinkLMNT.com/HONEST. And if you're an LMNT INSIDER, you have first access to LMNT Sparkling - a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. Meta - Tap into the people on Facebook to fuel the things you're interested ineHarmony - Get who gets you, on eharmony. Sign up today.Bon Charge - Go to boncharge.com and use code HONEST to save 15% off my favorite Red Light Face Mask and other wellness products. DraftKings Golden Nugget - New players can get $77 instantly in casino site credits. All you have to do is sign up with code HONEST and deposit $7 to get $77 in casino site credits. Make Any Moment Golden. *see disclaimer for details.Horoscope Weekly - New episodes release every Monday. Wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for "Horoscope Weekly with Aliza Kelly"For more Let's Be Honest, follow along at:@kristincavallari on Instagram@kristincavallari and @dearmedia on TikTokLet's Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari on YouTubeProduced by Dear Media. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The following podcast is a Dear Media production. This is Let's Be Honest with Kristen Cavallari, a podcast all about getting real and open on everything from sex, relationships, reality TV, wellness, family, and so much more. And just a fair warning, there will probably be some oversharing. Welcome in to Let's Be Honest. I'm your host, Kristen Cavallari. I'm a little under the weather, so I'm sorry that I sound like this, but we're just going to roll with it. So today is going to be all about skin and skincare. I have with me Neri Colon. She's a senior level esthetician at Shani Darden Studio in LA. She's an educator and industry pro with over 15 years experience.

Hello. Hi, Kristen. How are you? I'm so excited to be here. Thank you for having me. Thank you. And you're glowing per usual. What do you have on your skin right now? Honestly, just a tinted sunscreen. I, you know, I'm a stickler for my routine. So I've got like my antioxidants, my, you know, all my goodies. Okay. Yeah. Because honestly, out of anyone I've ever seen in my entire life, you have the hands down best skin on the planet. Oh my God. You're so sweet. I think partly because I'm super oily. So it's just that natural glow. I don't have to do much to achieve it. Well, I'm so excited because I think you're going to just give everyone so many tips and tricks. And so I want to start with the fact

that we're in September now, you know, we're coming into the fall. So I think a skincare routine in the fall and winter is very different than in the summer. So would you, so would you agree that the fall and the winter are times to do lasers and peels and really start to do all of that stuff? Absolutely. I mean, you know, climate and where you live obviously plays such a significant role in your skincare and just how your skin feels. And, you know, I love the idea of doing lasers in that time of year. Okay. But, you know, I also have a different philosophy on lasers than most people.

I think it's important to really, you know, see different professionals and make sure that wherever you're going to get treated that, you know, it's the right fit for you. I don't think that all lasers are created equal. So it's important to figure out what your skin can tolerate. Okay. Because I'm so glad you bring that up because we've had this conversation. Because I think I said to you, I did Morpheus twice and I was like, I didn't see any results. And I've done a lot of lasers since I was probably 25. I've done them off and on. I've done a million. I feel like I've tried them all. And I've never once been like, I loved that. That made a difference. But the flip side is, I don't know if I, because I'm 37 now and I have been doing lasers for so long. Is that part of the reason

that my skin looks pretty good? Maybe. For sure. I mean, it really will contribute to, you know, strengthening and boosting your skin's collagen, which is something that as we age will gradually deplete. So, but I think it's also incorporating good skincare and good hygiene and getting facials regularly. So it really is like a whole combination of things that make your skin look amazing. And I think it's good to try different types of lasers to figure out which ones your skin loves. I just always worry when clients will go to the most aggressive type of laser when they've never even tried one.

So I really look at them as like a marathon, you know, and this is like my analogy for lasers is, you know, when you're starting to do a marathon, you have to train. So start out with five miles, you build up to 10, 15, et cetera. Same with lasers. Like you can't just jump into the most aggressive because that could really backfire. Okay. That makes sense to me. Yeah. I just had a client come in who's, you know, ethnic skin, Indian actually, and had these two, you know, huge, huge spots in the middle of his cheeks. And I've never really seen anything like it, to be honest with you. So, you know, I was curious to, you know, what happened and he's like, I had laser done and it left these like permanent marks. So now he's, you know.

No, I would be furious. I know. It's pretty awful. So let's talk about. And again, that goes back to the practitioner. Yeah. I don't think that all lasers work for specific skin types, especially the darker the skin. You know,

they're going to potentially burn and cause more hyperpigmentation. So that's what that is. It's because he got burned that now it's left those marks. It went too deep into the dermal layer and it really damaged everything. Jeez. Okay. Let's talk about the different lasers. I feel like there's some that are more familiar than others. You know, there's Morpheus 8, Bull Therapy, BBL. What are the most popular lasers and who's a candidate for which ones? So I think IPL, you know, intense pulse laser, anybody can do. And it's been around for ages, by the way. So people are like, oh, it's old, but it stood the test of time. And it's been around for ages, by the way. So people are like, oh, it's old, but it stood the test of time. And it's one of those lasers that I think is gentle. It's not too aggressive. And again, we want to build. It's a slow build. And then you can dive into your Clear and Brilliant, which is another fantastic laser that I think is pretty versatile enough to even do in the

slightly warmer months, you know, because as long as you're wearing sunscreen, in my opinion, I think you can kind of do those types of treatments and you'll get good results. However, the Fraxel, the CO2, the Morpheus, those I think you should definitely avoid in the hotter season. Okay. Just because they're more aggressive. Correct. Yeah. They're going to treat deeper layers of the skin. And then what are these lasers trying to do? They're supposed to help with fine lines and wrinkles, just like overall skin tightening? Absolutely. So they're going to target texture. They're going to target enlarged pores, acne, scarring, pigmentation, UV damage, the fine lines and wrinkles. So they do have, you know, the ability to create a beautiful

tightening effect and that overall sort of, you know, regenerating effect on the skin. But again, I don't think it's just like a quick fix. I think you have to really be mindful of having a good home care routine and taking care of your skin. Okay. Yeah, absolutely. And I feel like most lasers too, you can't just do one, one time and expect amazing results. No. And most places you go to, they'll usually recommend a series. I think depending on the type of laser, but average is about maybe three to four that are spread apart. So. Okay. And then what about peels? Peels are good for same thing or mostly hyperpigmentation?

So peels work differently and there's different grades of peels. So when we're talking about chemical peels, there are plenty that you can do in treatment when you're seeing a facialist. And so those are categorized as either chemical or physical. And obviously when you are seeing a facialist, hopefully, you know, she knows what she's doing and will properly assess your skin to make sure that you're a good candidate for that. I love chemical peels. I'm a huge, huge fan of chemical peels. I would rather do them, to be honest, on most people than like have them do anything aggressive just to kind of, you know, create a little bit of a tolerance to strengthen the skin. And then there's medical grade, like more cosmetic peels. And so that will include the bio repeal, which, you know, is so popular now. I think I haven't heard of that. Oh,

it's amazing. It's like take off a layer of your skin. Like I've seen the people with face peels off. They, they really, they say it's the no down time peel. Oh. I'm not exactly sure that's accurate because I've had it done on my skin multiple times and there's always a little residual flaking, but you can really like live your life and do it. It's not the type of peel where you're shedding aggressively and you can't like put it out into public. But what I love about it is it's actually working on the

outside and the inside of the skin. So that means we're targeting all the damage, you know, pigmentation, the texture, all of that. But on the inside, it's also helping to boost your skin's collagen, which I love and not a lot of peels, you know, do that. The other thing too, is it has a combination. It's a 30% TCA peel and it's combined with, you know, the AHAs, BHAs, the PHAs, and then it has a combination of amino acids, vitamins. So all these incredible ingredients that the skin can tolerate and the results are incredible. And again, very, very little downtime. I always like to make sure that we prepare ahead of time for it. So anytime I'm discussing with a client, you know, that we're going to do this as a treatment, I'll have them

discontinue any actives in their home care for, I would say like a a solid four to five days just to kind of like calm the skin. And then that way you have very little downtime. Usually, if there's any flaking at all, you'll notice it sort of like around, you know, the chin, a little bit around the jawline. But it's, you know, it's cool. I want to do that one. Yeah, we'll do that on you next time. Yeah, I want to do that for sure. Okay, guys, really quickly, let's talk about Element. Element helps anyone stay hydrated without the sugar and other dodgy ingredients found in popular electrolyte and sports drinks. Electrolyte deficiency or imbalance can cause headaches, cramps, fatigue, brain fog, and weakness. Element is a zero sugar electrolyte

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that pushes that on people. In fact, you're very natural and you love a natural face. I don't want to just talk shit about Botox and filler because I have seen a lot of my friends do it and I've seen great results. We're not talking shit. Listen, I'm also aware of like, never say never. Believe me, I'm there. I'm there. But I also think I'm probably the only person in my industry who has yet to inject anything into my face yet. I know. Yeah, I know. And you look incredible. I mean, I think the pendulum is kind of swinging the other way. But OK, I'm curious from your perspective, because I mean, you see multiple people every single day. What are the negative side effects

that you've seen? Because I know filler can move. It can create like little pockets in your face and lines. So what are some of the things that you've seen? Well, you know, there is such a thing as over-injecting, right? We've all, especially in LA, you see it all the time. There's no movement that they don't look natural. I'm not opposed to Botox. I think when it's done conservatively and, you know, the injector can look at you and really figure out how to, you know, create a nice symmetry in your face. I'm all about it. I think it's a good enhancement. I think it's good for preserving and helping soften the fine lines.

My only problem is if someone goes into an appointment where they ask them to move and there's no movement at all and they still decide to shoot them up with it, I'm like, this is insane. I know. It's like your eyes are gonna bulge out. You have no movement at all. And they still decide to shoot them up with it. I'm like, this is insane. I know. It's like your eyes are going to bulge out. You have no movement. I can't figure out if you're happy, if you're sad, like, I know. So, you know, another side effect. And look, I've heard the craziest stories, to be honest with you. I've heard of someone getting

botulism, which is like essentially poisoning. It affects their entire body. So then they start to have these really intense, adverse reactions where the body is sort of trying to reject this poison that's inside their system. Another thing is drooping. So like the eyes start drooping. Yes. So, you know, depending on the placement and again, you really have to make sure that you do your homework and you find a really good injector that they don't overdo it because sometimes the eyes will droop. One eyebrow will be higher than the other. Oh my gosh. So that's, well, I did. So thank God it was in the height of COVID. But the one time I did something was I did disport under my eyes and I can't even look at photos from that time because my eyes drooped

down, down. And it is the craziest looking thing on the planet. And it lasted probably for six months. And I can't look at photos because it makes me so mad. It's interesting because, you know, I think again, placement is absolutely imperative, right? And you have the person who's doing it has to understand, you know, where it's going. Yeah. So I've seen, you know, when it's done in this sort of like bilateral area in this area, and it's done beautifully and it can actually create like a nice lift. It helps with the crow's feet. But again, I think like the minute they start to go down deeper into the eye, you know, you're kind of asking that point. Yeah. It, it scared me. I don't know that I'll

ever mess with my eyes again like that. Yeah. I mean, honestly, I, like I said, I've heard of some really scary stories. One of them was a patient. The Botox was placed in the temple area and it caused blindness. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Yeah. And it never came back. And this is not to fear monger.

I don't want to scare anyone, but I think you have have to really understand what anything can cause, right? Exactly. Yeah. And again, I mean, I think we've both seen great results too. You just said that you have, I have friends who it literally Botox has changed their face and they look incredible and they haven't had any bad side effects. So, I mean, obviously most people are fine, but there are those chances that something could go drastically wrong. And I'm, I'm honestly, I always like to be very transparent with my clients and give them, make sure they understand, you know, what they're getting into number one, because I highly doubt that anybody that does injectables is just going to go in for one time and call it a day unless you've had a severe reaction. And with that being said, you really have to

address their concerns and give them realistic expectations. Anytime I have a client that's like, oh, you know, my lovins are bothering me, or I've got more pronounced, you know, forehead wrinkles. I honestly encourage for them to have a little Botox because it bothers them. Yeah. You want people to be happy. Like I'm not, I'm not opposed to that. I think do what's best for you, but it's just the overdoing it that concerns me because I don't know. I want to normalize like not looking natural. I think it's really sad that especially in LA, everybody looks a little crazy sometimes. It's true. And just getting back to aging gracefully. I mean, we're all going to age. It's just a part of life. So I do think at some point we have to embrace it a little bit. Embrace it. Embrace it.

You know, honestly, I come from a line of women, you know, in my family that I've watched age and no one's had surgery. No one's had Botox. And look, that's not also considered normal, right? Because most people are like, oh, everybody in my family gets Botox. But I think for me, it made me realize that it's okay to look that way. It's actually beautiful. And I don't know. I love it. I agree.

My mom is 71 and she looks incredible and she's never touched her face. Yeah. So she's my inspiration, my mama. But what are some other things that we can be doing to help with anti-aging? I mean, you give the best facial I've ever had and you use a lot of cool tools. You do electric current. What is that machine called that you- The microcurrent. Yeah. So that thing is awesome. So, and you like to lift- It's my favorite. You lift while you do it. So explain that to me. Well, listen, my hands are my tools, number one. So

for me, it's, I love a deep lifting contouring massage and also the benefits outweigh anything. It's just, it feels good. It's relaxing. It also just does something for like your mental state. And I think also that's important to consider with skin because our body is under constant stress. So the minute you're doing something invigorating, such as a hand massage, where you're stimulating healthy blood flow, where, you know, you're getting that microcirculation, it's kind of like a mini workout, you know? That's how I always start my treatments.

I love to do like a 15, 20 minute massage, which, you know, in an hour facial, it's heaven, everything else. I love massage. I think, you know, incorporating lymphatic drainage, that's like another huge trend, which is to be honest, I find a little silly because it's been around for ages and then, you you know how it is, people catch on to it and they're like, oh my God, have you done lymphatic drainage? Yeah. Yeah. My whole career. You know, lymphatic drainage is another thing that people can easily incorporate at home. You know, you really are able to, well, first of all, make sure you're doing it right. That's number one. So can you show me if we want to do a little, even a three minute massage in the morning while we're doing our skincare routine, what can we be doing?

Well, so you want to activate the lymphatic system, right? So usually, you know, you kind of like want to start just above the clavicle bone. So you kind of just pump that area very, very gently a few times, right? So we're kind of getting that lymphatic to, to waken up and then you kind of go underneath the, the armpit area. Okay. You pump that a few times, right? And then you're going to go behind the ear, pump that area. And then you start to gently drain, right? A few minutes of that every day. And then you kind of could work, you know, center of the chin up and across the jawline and drain. And this is also something that is great to do with the Gua Sha tool. Okay. Right. Those are

also widely popular and there's so many on the market. So just find one that works for you. Amazon has a great selection, so I don't really care like what brand, but yeah, I love lymphatic drainage. I love like a lifting and contouring massage. And there's so many incredible things that, you know, a lot of facialists are doing with that. But in treatment, I mean, we incorporate microcurrent. Microcurrent is fantastic. And the technology is actually really interesting. It was initially used in a medical setting years and years back. This particular machine that we have in our studio, they were using it in a medical facility

to help patients that underwent facial paralysis from, you know, strokes. And so they would come in and work on those muscles that were basically not working. They were, you know, wow. And so they realized, oh, it's creating a lifting effect. It's strengthening the muscle. So the current itself, when it's absorbed into the skin, it sends a signal down into the deeper layers of the muscle to basically awaken it and re-educate it. And when you achieve that, the muscle then becomes stronger. So then it's lifted, it's contoured. So what happens to the skin above the muscle is the skin itself will then look tighter. Amazing. So it's the same concept. You work out at the gym, you use weights. It's

the same thing. I mean, we have over 43 muscles in our face. Right. So think about, you know. And there's home devices that you can get too, right? That are similar to what you guys have. Yes. So I love the Myolift is a great one. Okay. There's the Zip. That's another microcurrent. I also love the Shawnee Darden Facial Sculpting Wands. It is not a microcurrent, but the wands are incredible because they use sound wave technology.

So they really help increase your skin's oxygen uptake. And again, getting that microcirculation going, but that vibration as you're really like working through the muscle helps to contour and lift. I've loved those machines and, you know, we incorporate those into our facials. What's another one? I mean, new face has been around forever. Yeah. Have you heard of the Pico toner? Yes. I have that one. Yeah. It's amazing. It's amazing. So the, the brand of microcurrent, the professional grade machine that we have, that's their, their home model. Oh, okay. Cause I was like, it's very similar to the one that you guys have. Cause it comes

with the probes, the gloves. And it's not cheap. It's definitely an investment, but it is, I think it's the best home device out there. I love it. Absolutely. All right, guys, let's talk about DraftKings. That's a name I know we've all heard. After your laundry is set to permanent press, it's time to give Golden Nugget Online Casino a spin. With hundreds of the most exciting games, Golden Nugget lets you live it up in your downtime on classic and exclusive slots only found on their online casino. So take a load off while you wait for your load of laundry and say hello to your golden era. New players can get $77 instantly in casino site

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symbol tattooed on the back of my neck. I also have all three of my kids astrology signs tattooed on me. So I want to share a podcast with you guys. It's called Horoscope Weekly, hosted by the brilliant author and astrologer Aliza Kelly. Horoscope Weekly takes you on an insightful and personalized cosmic journey. I am so excited. So every week, what you can expect is that Aliza is going to interpret the latest astrological events, bringing you cosmic insights for the week ahead, along with detailed guidance on what you should expect this week based on your unique zodiac sign. I'm a Capricorn and you guys, I am so spot on a Capricorn.

I also am really into moon and sun rising as well, which for me are cancer and Aries. And again, you guys, if you think this stuff is crazy, I would honestly encourage you just to pay a little bit of attention to it because you might start to be blown away how spot on this stuff is. And if nothing else, it's just really fun. Plus, Aliza is going to tailor advice across love, career, health, and more. So whether you're an astrology enthusiast, or maybe you're just a curious newcomer, let Horoscope Weekly with Aliza be your guide through the stars. New episodes release every Monday, wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for Horoscope Weekly with Aliza Kelly. Here's a brand that we all know and

love, and that is Facebook. On Facebook, I don't just scroll mindlessly. Here's a brand that we all know and love, and that is Facebook. On Facebook, I don't just scroll mindlessly. That's one thing that I love so much about Facebook is that you can further your interests beyond the scroll and into real life. So for example, if you guys are interested in cooking, like you all know that I am, you guys can find different Facebook groups that have similar interests. So cooking is great because you can all make similar recipes like this chicken piccata recipe that my Facebook group and I just made. And then you share it and then you can talk about what you loved or didn't love about it. And I always find it fascinating the different ways that people do their food

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I don't really think until I got into skincare, I understood the power of retinol. And it's something that I say, like you hit your twenties, that's when you should start treating your skin. Right. I find it a bit comical that people in their early twenties are like rushing to get injections done when you're technically still developing in a way. I think it's kind of like premature, like it's, it's not necessary. So when you start using ingredients like a retinol, which that's over the counter, you could also do the prescription, which is stronger, obviously like a tretinoin, which a lot of my clients have in their routine. Yeah. It just speeds, you know, speeds the cell turnover. It helps with fine lines and wrinkles.

It's going to really strengthen the collagen and the skin. So to me, that's a no brainer. What's so great now is that, I mean, the market is flooded with thousands of different, you know, sort of blends of retinol. So you just define which one suits you best. So yeah, I would say retinol. I love a chemical exfoliation. Okay. Best with the P50 lotion from Biologique Recherche, which is my favorite brands. Yeah. The only thing is, unfortunately, most people don't know how to use it correctly. So again, to all the estheticians out there in the world, please take the time to educate your clients on how to properly use their home care. Because I've had clients come in.

And by the way, we don't carry that line, but I've used it since I was a teenager. So I'm very familiar with it. Oh, wow. Okay. Yeah. It's something that I grew up with. So, you know, the P50 itself stands for peeling for 50 days. But that's based on a whole different climate.

Like we live in California, it's sunny and it's hot all the time. So you don't want to peel your skin every day for 50 days straight. So I always tell clients added into your routine once or twice a week. It is an exfoliating lotion. It's not just use it every night. Oh my God. There you go. That's my point. Oh my God. Okay. Okay. So just a couple of times a week. Yes. Yes. It's it's I also like it for nighttime because I look at it as a, as a treatment based product. Right. Okay. And really during the day, not to go off base, but during the day, you really want to focus on things that nourish and protect.

So things like an antioxidant, such as a vitamin C, which is my next product that I would choose as my top five. Antioxidants are really going to save the barrier of your skin. So when we look at vitamin C, which is also going to help boost your collagen, it really acts as a barrier. It helps fight off free radicals. It's a natural brightener. And again, there's so many incredible formulations. Is Clinical makes a fantastic

product. It's their ProHeal serum that I love and I've used for like eight years straight. SkinCeuticals, excuse me, makes another fantastic one. So there's tons of options. Yeah. Yeah. I feel like every line has a vitamin C. Yeah. Yeah. My fourth product would be a good moisturizer. Okay. And then any, anything in particular with moisturizer that you love or we should be looking for? You know, you want, again, this is based on your skin type. Okay. So you can't just use like a heavy moisturizer and be like, oh, it feels good. So it works. The problem with that is if you're oily, then it could be comedogenic and clog your

pores and cause more problems. Right. Okay. So understand your skin type, understand your skin conditions, and then you are able to choose the right product for you. But in general, if you do have like, let's say combination to oily skin, you want more of a lightweight moisturizer. Like the Shawnee Darden Weightless is fantastic. I also love the Aya's Clinical eye as clinical moisturizer. Even with me having oily skin, I've used it for years. And that's another misconception is if you have oily skin, you're not supposed to moisturize, which is insane to me. But you know, you want to look for things with peptides, with ceramides, with humectants that really help to draw and hold water in the skin because of dehydration. That's another condition that affects the skin. So, right. Okay. And then of course, SPF.

Yeah. You little missy, I've got a bone to pick with you. I know I've gotten so much. No, you know, you know, here's, here's the thing. SPF is really tricky in the U S because of the formulations. Yeah. And it's astounding because there's, I don't know, I think maybe over 1100 ingredients that are banned in the EU that we still use in America, which is like insane. What are we putting on our skin? So I think SPF is one of those very, very tricky ones because of the white cast. Like I'm even sensitive to SPF. My eyes burn in the middle of the day and I'm like, you know, wiping it away. And so, you know, I love like the Alta MD. I love the color science. Our control correctives is fantastic. It's a, it's an oil-free formula, but you know, we want to protect our skin.

It's, I know. And I will say I, the conversation that I had was not one to bash sunscreen. I actually, I sunscreen isn't part of my daily routine, but when I'm in the sun, I wear it on my face. I have a tinted moisturizer that has it in it. So if I wear makeup, I'm, I am wearing it, but I have realized there are a lot of, well, there's two parts to this. There's a lot of benefits from the sun. And also there is a lot of chemicals and sunscreen. So I think we should be looking for zinc oxide, right? Yeah. So I, I always start my day if, if their son is out with like 20 minutes,

just taking it in. Yeah. It's healthy. It's necessary. We need it just again for like the mind, the body and you know, vitamin D and small doses. It's, it's healthy. And they've done so many studies on, you know, how important that is for us. But if you're out and about all day, put a little sunscreen on, you know, I've, I've gotten my kids to make it a part of their daily routine. So, you know, starting young is also important because it will help prevent the UV damage. You know, when we get those pesky brown spots and you're like, oh my God, and they get worse as we age. Yeah. Again, you know, our collagen depleting and then imagine layering the sun damage on top of that. Right. Not a good look.

Okay. SPF. I hear you. I hear you. Okay. What about natural products? I don't, are you on TikTok at all? No. Okay. Well, I'm be happy that you aren't because it's ruining my life. As it is like the relationship I have with Instagram is really on the rocks these days. I'm like, I want to just go off grid. I literally told my coworker the other day, I was like, I think I might just go off grid. And if you need to find me, hopefully you have my number. And if you need to find me, hopefully you have my number. And if you don't have it, I mean, it's not meant to be. I don't know. God, I hear you. I want to go off grid too. But TikTok, I will say the one thing that they do

have is a lot of like skin hacks or like different things we can be doing. And the ones that I love are when they talk about natural products like castor oil, for example. I'll put that under my eyes. I'll put it on my forehead because it's supposed to help with fine lines and wrinkles. Do you have any natural kind of hacks that you like similar to that? You know, I honestly, I'm a product junkie. So for me, I like things that are properly formulated. I think unless you're like going out into the woods yourself or, you know, a lavender farm that's in your backyard, I don't know how natural anything can get because it's all made in a lab. I know. you know, clean lines, but I do think that actives are important again with helping prevent the aging process. Like you want things that will work deeper into the skin. You want things that are

smaller molecule that will actually penetrate and absorb. Um, that makes sense. Yeah. Yeah. I hear you. Maybe I'll stop lathering castor oil all over my entire face. I love, I love an oil. If you're into that sort of like feel of an oil, you know, just to kind of like keep your skin very, very like hydrated and moisturized. What I would suggest for you to try is for tuna oil. Oh, okay. Italian brand. And actually, they do source all their ingredients naturally. Like, I think they have a farm, actually. I know what you're talking about.

They have olive oil products, right? Incredible. Yeah, they are nice. I actually love their stuff. Yeah. Yeah. I think sometimes I'll do a heavier kind of oil or cream or something on my neck and my chest just because I feel like that can handle kind of the thicker, heavier products sometimes.

So I used to lather that all over my neck and chest. Let's talk about kids and skincare because there is this insane craze right now with young children wanting a skincare routine. My eight-year-old came to me asking for skincare. And I was like, you're eight years old. I wasn't even aware of this stuff until middle school because I had breakouts. So my question for you is how soon is too soon? And when kids start, what products should they be using? It should be pretty simple, I would imagine. For sure. Well, first and foremost, I mean, if your kids are showing any interest in skincare,

mostly I would say girls because my boys don't know unless I hand it to them. Yeah. You know, and this whole like Sephora thing to me is bonkers. Also, how are they getting this money? Who gives them money to go to Sephora? I didn't have that kind of allowance. I literally was $10 to go to the mall. So who's spending $500 at Sephora? It's insane. So I think, Hey, let's address the problem, which is the parents we're handing. That's really where it starts. So you don't want it to happen. Just don't give them any money. No, but if they are showing an interest in skincare, which I think

it's healthy, I think it's important. And, you know, at a younger age, when you start to develop good hygiene habits, right. But understanding what those are and really making them simple, but also being mindful that like, if they are going to Sephora and they're buying, you know, these like active products that have like high dosage of vitamin C that have retinoids in them. I mean, that's insane because first of all, the amount of sensitivity that it's going to create on their skin barrier, like some kids will end up with this sort of like reddish, it's kind of a rash. It's an inflammation. Their skin is not fully developed. So we really need to focus on, you know, protecting the

microbiome and, you know, helping them maybe with products that help with sebum control, with breakouts, but any kid, their home care routine should be very, very simple. And it should really consist of a good cleanser, a good moisturizer and an SPF. What I understand, I think in the state of California, they're putting a ban on the sale of actives for kids that are, it's the Gen Alpha, I guess. Oh, I don't even know what they're called. Yeah. But yeah, they're banning that. So they're not going to be able to purchase those products. So again, we're talking about the actives, we're talking about the retinols. I mean, under, that's good. Yeah. That's how it should be.

That's how I, we, they still don't know the sort of, you know, they haven't broken it down yet. So still waiting to hear what that's going to look like, but TBD. Yeah. But that's I think it's good. They're paying attention to it and trying to do something about it. For sure. I mean, it's out of control. Yeah, that's crazy. And then for a kid who gets breakouts, which was me, I feel like there was nothing I could find on the market.

I was also using anything I could find at like Walgreens when I was growing up. You know, skincare was very different then compared to how it is now. What can kids be using for breakouts if they get them? Okay. So again, I think it does depend on the age group. I do have a few clients who bring their kids in for facials. We do these teen facials. Most of them start at around the age of 12, 13, when the hormones start to change, you know, they start to notice little bumps. The texture is, you know, there's some clogging and, you know, buildup. What I would suggest is a light chemical exfoliation.

Okay. So again, going back to exfoliations, you know, they're categorized into either chemical or physical. You could start them with a physical, which is granule based, you know, and you can choose one that is not too aggressive. I don't like the kind of sandy granule ones. Cause I do think they create micro tears. Also people have the tendency to use them too harsh. Like they rub them in until their skin is like red and they're like, Oh, I guess. So find something that's really kind of like a soft granule. So that's a physical

exfoliation. I also love something with an enzyme because enzymes help to actually break down that cement that holds dead cells together. And they're very gentle on the skin as well. Something like a peel pad, the Dr. Dennis grows peel pads are fantastic. They come in different strengths. So like just there's a sensitive strength and a normal one, but if they're like, let's say 16, 17 at that point, and they're very broken out, you can even go extra strength. What I love about those is the pads are gentle. So again, you really are just rubbing them into your skin, you know, circular motion, allowing for the ingredients to penetrate, not causing the micro tears. And they're quick and easy to do. You don't have to rinse it off. You just, you know, put it on and put a moisturizer

on and you're good to go. But start introducing exfoliation as soon as they, you'll notice like, you know, even my, my oldest, he's 10 years old. I'm starting to notice like little pores around his nose. So once in a while I'll take a peel pad and just kind of work into that area a little bit. Okay. Yeah. My oldest has them to all like go to town on his blackheads. I mean, I love doing it, but I mean, poor guy. Okay. See, I didn't know he's almost, well, he's, he just turned 12. I didn't know I could be using a little peel pad or something though. For sure. And I like, I like to just do it in that area, you know, because it's not necessary to do it all over the face. If it's

just the nose, that is a little fog, you know? Yeah, exactly. Okay. Amazing. Okay. And then the last thing I want to talk to you about are all of the different acids. There's hyaluronic acid, glycolic, lactic, salicylic, kojic. What is the difference between all of them? Who should be using what and when and why? Well, hyaluronic acid is found in our body naturally, right? It holds its weight like a thousand times in our body, but it's renowned because it has the ability to retain moisture, right? And so it is really great in terms of, you know, trapping water and keeping it in our body. But again, what happens over time, dehydration, you know, environmental exposure, all the things that kind of evaporate that, but hyaluronic acid, when you're using it

in an ingredient, it's going to add water back into the skin, hydrate it, and also create that volumizing effect. It's actually, it's filler essentially, right? So Radiesse is a filler, it's a dermal filler and it's hyaluronic acid. It's a gel form hyaluronic acid. Cool. So that's what they use to, you know, fill the lines. Oh, interesting. Okay. Yeah. But the reason why it's so great in skincare formulations is because, you know, it's going to really bring all that moisture back and drop it into the skin. Plumps you up a little bit. Plumps you up. The acids, you know, the glycolics, the lactics, the malic, tartaric, those are all under the AHAs, the family of AHAs. So those will help to exfoliate the outermost layer of skin.

Okay. And they're fantastic because you can, you find them in formulas that are blended. I always do a little cocktailing myself in the treatment room. So again, depending on the individual skin type and concerns, they're great because there's no downtime with using those types of exfoliations, like a chemical based exfoliation. You know, I also love, there's like a peptide formula that's also good for anti-aging as well. And so those are great to exfoliate your skin with regularly and they don't harm the skin in any way. Okay, great. There's BHAs, which are beta hydroxy acids, and those will include salicylic acid, which is a fantastic formula because it helps with acneic skin, more kind of oily, thick skin. It's good for inflammation, bacteria. So I use that on all

my acne or like breakout prone skin. Okay. And then there's the polyhydroxy acids, which is really kind of a new line of acids that is now part of the family. And those are made of larger molecules. So it does make them more suitable for sensitive skin types. They're just larger. So they're not going to really like go in as deep as the other ones, but they're great for sensitive, like rosacea skin, more inflamed skin. Kojic acid, I love. It's a natural skin brightener. It's one of those products that you'll find in a lot of exfoliation as well because it's blended with licorice root. And so it's great for brightening the skin. It helps to tackle pigmentation. But what it also is known for is it helps to inhibit

the overproduction of melanin, which is what gives our skin color. So if someone is overproducing color and has, you know, too much of it, it's going to help suppress that a little bit. I use kojic acid every single morning. It's amazing. Koji pads. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They're fantastic. Liquid rich root, kojic acid, arbutin. Those are all ingredients that we look for to brighten the skin. Okay. Yeah. And vitamin C too, which you said earlier. Yeah. Okay. Amazing. I mean, gosh, this is so great. You gave so many good tips. People are going to love this. Oh, thank you. And then I got to get out to LA. I got to come see you.

I got to figure that out. I was hoping that I can get my hands on that beautiful face of yours. I'm so mad. I was supposed to be there and we were supposed to do this in person soon. It's okay. Well, we have something to look forward to. Your bio repeal and then we'll zap you up with a sneak recurrence. So you'll be lifted and glowing in no time.

I can't wait. Well, thank you so much for doing this. I love you. Oh my God. My Well, thank you so much for doing this. I love you. Oh my God. My pleasure. Thank you so much for having me. By the way, I just want to let it be known. You popped my podcast, Cherry.

Yes. And you killed it. And you're so good. I'm like, oh my God, I'm so nervous to do this. And you're like, you're going to be fine. I'm like, yeah, you know. No, you're amazing. You're the best.

Well, thank you. I'll hopefully see you soon you know, no, you're amazing. You're the best. Well, thank you. Thank you. Okay. We'll talk soon.